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Every artist I know is concerned about the best light source to use for painting. Most would probably agree that daylight is the best in that it offers what is often called “full spectrum” light. That is, all wavelengths of the visible electromagnetic spectrum are present, allowing us to perceive color accurately. But unless you’re fortunate to have a studio with such light you’re forced to consider alternatives. The familiar tungsten bulbs are a poor substitute for daylight because the light they produce is dominated by the yellow to red end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Ever tried painting under tungsten bulbs? When you view such a painting under daylight you’d be astounded at how blue the painting looks. That’s because when using tungsten light when making a painting, blueish colors (also purples and greens) look less intense. Consequently, tungsten light will lead you to use much more blue paint than appropriate.

How about fluorescent bulbs? Although some are labeled “daylight” they are a far cry from actual daylight. That’s because if you were to look at a graph of their spectrum you’d see that it has spikes of radiation at several wavelengths — not a continuous spectrum like daylight. Such bulbs are designed to give one the illusion of daylight, but for the accurate color judgement when mixing paints it’s rather deficient. Having said that, I recall that many years ago I tried using various fluorescent bulbs, sometimes combined with an assortment of other artificial sources. After a while I familiarized myself with the deficiencies of these lights and was able to execute many paintings, though sometimes it became necessary to make corrections and adjustments after viewing the paintings with daylight.

Now that both tungsten and fluorescent lights are being supplanted by the more energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs, I’ve tried those as well and some of them are probably usable but they suffer from a pronounced spike of light in the blue and lack deep red colors. Not long ago when I had to give up my studio space in an old mill building (it was sold and it slated to become apartments) I moved my studio to a basement space at home. It had hardly any windows so a major concern was what kind of lights I would use. 

Searching on the Internet led me to a company called Tailored Lighting, which manufactures Solux lamps. Their website (solux.net) has a page (http://www.solux.net/cgi-bin/tlistore/index.html) where they discuss their low voltage halogen fixtures, and tout the use of their bulbs by many museums. I spoke to Kevin McGuire, the inventor of the lamps and the president of the company. I learned that like daylight and unlike fluorescent bulbs SoLux lamps provide a full, even, and continuous spectrum. I was also pleased to hear that the bulbs are low voltage, requiring only 12 volts and very little electricity.

I decided to purchase a set of four SoLux track light fixtures to try them out, but first I had to select a specific color “temperature.” The concept of color temperature can be vexing, but in essence the lower the color temperature the redder the color; higher color temperatures correspond to bluer colors. Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin. For example, candlelight (a very warm, reddish color) is about 1900 degrees Kelvin. Blue sky, with no direct sun, is about 11,000 to 13,000 degrees Kelvin. A great chart showing these distinctions is at https://hci-led.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Don-Werthmann-on-Kelvin.pdf.

After initial discussions with a representative at Tailored Lighting, I chose a color temperature of 3,500 degrees Kelvin, which I was told had been selected for many museum applications. I purchased a four-foot track with four black 50 watt round fixtures (see photo). When they arrived, I couldn’t wait to compare one of the new fixtures with one of the LED floodlights I had once used for lighting the corridor outside my former studio. Using first the LED bulb and then the SoLux lamp, I illuminated several red, green, blue and yellow objects in my studio. I was amazed gratified over how much more vibrant and vivid the items appeared with the SoLux light. 

I had no trouble mounting the four foot track on an overhead beam and making the necessary electrical connections to an existing outlet. After using these lights for several months, however, I found that paintings I had done tended to be a bit too blueish in hue when viewed in daylight. This suggested that the color temperature was a bit too low (I was compensating for the yellow-red illumination by beefing up how much blue I was using when mixing the paint). Also, I found that the lights were somewhat too concentrated and not spread out enough. In addition, when working in oil I had to experiment with positioning of the painting in relation to the lights to minimize reflections off the wet paint. When I shared these observations with the folks at Tailored Lighting, they suggested that I should consider using a 4,700 degree Kelvin lamp and a plano-convex diffusing lens to help spread out the light. I’m happy to say that with these adjustments, I’ve been very happy with the results. And in the meantime, I’ve purchased two more of these fixtures, which provide good overall illumination on both the painting on the easel and the nearby table on which I mix paints. (See photos.)

In case it might be helpful to other artists, here are the specifics of what I purchased.

1. One Color Proofing Kit, with four SoLux Round Black fixtures and four 4,700 Kelvin 36 degree [angle of spread] flood lights.

2. Four plano-convex diffusing lenses.

In addition, I’ve recently purchased two more of the fixtures above, bringing the total number of lamps on the track to six.

With best wishes for success in painting!